This album will undoubtedly please their fan base.

Opeth has produced its fourth album with Roadrunner and their eleventh platter in total. The band is a big name act with a faithful fan base and are playing Download this year and preparing their audience for the release of this album in August.

Starting with 'Cusp Of Eternity', the band kicks into a spacey groove and an almost Middle Eastern melody and orchestration, I would need to dig out my music theory books but it is in the 'Gates Of Babylon' envelope. This hypnotic opener contains crisp playing, a stylish guitar solo, changes of pace and key; literally everything the Opeth fan could ever want. 'Elysian Woes' which follows next demonstrates the other string to their bow; namely the acoustic guitar driven and melancholic vocal. Its true shade to the opener's light. The album moves on from this wistful excursion into the Jazzy and organ led 'Eternal Rains Will Come' and then calms down into the tuneful ballad 'Faith In Others'.

The instrumental 'Goblin' keeps the low-key vibe going in anticipation of the ten minute epic 'Moon Above, Sun Below'. Another essentially Jazzy track but full of surprises and with a retro early 1970s Black Sabbath feel to it with a touch of menace and some great power chords. 'River' covers all the bases by starting with an acoustic, almost Country sound and slowly but surely building up to a frenetic guitar solo and then chops and changes into a Funky organ and guitar interlude and closes with a more frenetic vocal. The closing track, 'Voice Of Treason' maintains the menace but with a brighter and more up-tempo beat and has a series of keyboard interludes and interplays with the closing vocals.

A Swedish band with a massive pedigree, Opeth has delivered an album which to sum up in one word is eclectic. This album will undoubtedly please their fan base.

Rob McKenzie